Make It Count
by Hawkeye329
Summary: Haruhi is having a bad day and a thunderstorm rolls in. And then she gets left alone with Tamaki as emotions unravel and romance is shared...read and review! Oneshot! haruxtama


Make It Count

An Ouran High School Host Club Oneshot

. . .

Haruhi was having a bad day. She had failed three of her tests, was scolded for the escape of the frogs in science class (the twins being the real culprits), and when she showed up for club, she found that it was a day off. Which meant she didn't have to show up for what would ultimately make the tables turn.

She entered the room with a glum expression, heading directly to her favorite chair stationed in the corner of the room by the large window. As she sat down, she pulled her knees up to her chest and faced the glass, inwardly groaning at what she saw. The sky was dark and the wind was picking up; evident signs of a thunderstorm. _Great, just what I need to make my day even worse!_ A low rumble echoed from the distance and she trembled.

"Haruhi?" She let out a frustrated breath and looked up to see Tamaki staring down at her, his blonde hair dangling in his face. "I wasn't expecting to see you today! Did you come just to keep me company?" He asked, batting his lashes. Haruhi scoffed.

"If I knew I didn't have to be here, I would be home right now, not putting up with your crap." She said bluntly, plastering a frown on his face. He hugged his knees in the gloom of his hurt feelings, his head drooped low.

"It seems our Haruhi has experienced a bad day of academics." Kyoya offered, standing next to the King, his clipboard in hand. Tamaki popped back up, staring at the only girl member of the club.

"That's no reason to be upset! There are far worse things that could happen!" He said, trying his best to sound encouraging. Hikaru raised his brows.

"Hey Boss, remember the time you came here crying because you got an A- on a test. Maybe you should listen to your own advice." Kaoru nodded and swept his twin brother in his arms, dipping in down to the floor while staring lovingly into his eyes.

"Oh, Hikaru, you're so smart! No one could ever say different."

"Kaoru, stop, you're making me blush." Tamaki glared at the brothers.

"HEY! There are no ladies in here to woo, take a cold shower!" The twins stared at him, making his skin go rigid.

"We like to keep in practice." They said in unison.

"Haruhi, Haruhi!" Honey bounced into the room then, breaking the awkward glare between the first years and their king. He was swinging Usa-Chan in his arms and he ran up to Haruhi with his big blue eyes brimming with happiness. She twitched, overwhelmed by his joy. "I just got in an Italian chocolate cake, would you like to eat it with me?" She looked away from him, a frown still on her face.

"Not today, Honey-Sempai." The boy instantly became teary-eyed, clutching the bunny tightly to his chest. He cried out for Mori, who picked him up and held him as he clung around his neck.

"Haruhi, you're so mean! I just wanted to share my cake with you!" He bellowed out. Mori patted his back and silenced him.

"Cake." He said, making Honey smile again and they left the room. Haruhi sighed, dreading the fact that it had grown even darker outside and the rumbles of thunder were becoming louder. She could spot the flashes of lightning in the distance. A bead of sweat ran down the side of her face and she clung to her knees even harder. Kyoya set his clipboard down and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, dear. It seems I hadn't anticipated rain this soon and I left my SWAT team to train outside all day. I should go make a call and tell them about the coming storm." Tamaki glanced at him.

"That seems awfully nice of you to do…a little out of character, don't you think?" Kyoya chuckled.

"Of course not. I'm simply going to tell them to run around metal poles and dodge lightning. It should improve their speed and agility."

"What if they get struck by lightning?" The twins shouted. He chuckled again.

"Then I guess they weren't fast enough." He strolled out of the room, the twins and Tamaki blue in the face from shock.

"So heartless." Hikaru sputtered. Kaoru glanced back at Haruhi and smiled.

"Haruhi will protect us from Kyoya, right?" He went to her side and pushed his head to her chest in a mock embrace. Hikaru followed suit, putting her hands on his shoulders and leaning against his brother. Tamaki furrowed his brow as he watched their unraveling scheme.

"Yeah, Haruhi, you'll keep us right by your side as he punishes everyone else." She blew hair out of her face and glanced at them both with an annoyed face.

"Whatever guys. Go away." Hikaru looked up at her, a fake hurt expression on his face.

"Aww, you don't mean that, do you?" He leaned close to her, their noses almost touching. She didn't phase, but Tamaki could no longer take it.

"STOP TOUCHING MY FLOWER!" He suddenly yelled, charging at them. The twins took off, letting him chase them in circles around Haruhi as she just stared out the window. The brothers' escaped out the door moments later, allowing it to slam into the king face first. He slid to the ground, clutching his nose and grumbling, his cloud of gloom hanging over him once again.

After a moment, he stood up and walked back over to the window where she sat quietly. He realized they were the only two in the room, everyone having left them alone. He sighed. "Why do you let them crawl all over you?" She kept her eyes on the approaching storm.

"They were just goofing around. You don't always have to rush in to save me, you know." Tamaki growled.

"Haruhi, letting people –especially guys- do whatever they want to you will lead to something bad! It would be 'goofing around' every time. You could really get hurt!" Haruhi stood from her chair, glaring at him.

"What does that have to do with the twins messing around? Stop worrying about me so much. It's not like you're my dad and you're certainly not my brother. I can take care of myself!" She half-shouted. He shook his fists at his side.

"It has everything to do with them. Look at all the trouble you've gotten yourself into! The time Honey went missing or the time we went to the beach! You aren't the toughest girl in the world! You can't take on every person that comes after you!" He retorted. They looked at each other, barely an arm's length apart. Their faces were beat red and their eyes full of anger towards one another. Scowls were spread on their lips and the room thickened with malice.

But the storm took a nasty turn and let loose then. Lightning struck, lighting up the entire room as thunder followed closely after, making the furniture rattle. Haruhi's anger was quickly replaced by fear. She shrieked, throwing her hands up over her ears and squeezing her eyes shut. Tamaki watched her with wide eyes, but his anger still burned inside of him. Anger towards her pig-headedness and her vulnerability.

Haruhi was suddenly pushed back against the wall, trapped between in and Tamaki's trembling arms. "Damn it, Haruhi!" He looked straight into her eyes, gritting his teeth as he barely kept control over himself. She shook all over as another bout of thunder and lightning hit and she panted, her breathing shallow from tensing up. Tamaki grabbed her shoulders and shook her firmly, forcing her to look at him.

"Don't you realize that this is what I'm talking about? You wear your fear on your sleeve and people like me can take advantage over you! It makes you an easy target!"

"Sempai, stop it!" She whimpered, suddenly feeling as if he had gone insane. His eyes were wild and his hands clutched at her painfully tight. Outside, Hikaru and Kaoru looked through the crack in the door and were about to rush in, but Kyoya grabbed them both and shook his head for them to be quiet.

"Just wait." He whispered to them. They turned their attention back to the unfolding scene.

"No! You need to understand why it is I care!" Tamaki shouted over the thunder. With a final move, Tamaki closed the space between them and grabbed her face in his hands. He then pressed his lips against hers, kissing her long and hard, only pulling back when he felt her tears on his cheek.

He rested his hands back on her shoulders gently and laid his head in the nape of her neck. She froze, her eyes wide with surprise at what had just happened. He closed his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "You may be strong and independent, Haruhi, but you can't always depend on yourself to be safe…not even from me."

He used none of his charm on her. No smiles, no catchphrases; not even a bat of his long lashes. No, Tamaki used his raw emotions to get to her heart and for once, he felt that he had finally penetrated through her walls she built. He pulled away and looked at her to see tears still rolling down her face. Her knees trembled and she burrowed into his chest, the both of them sliding down to the floor. He ran his hand through her short, soft hair, whispering his apologies and that everything was alright. She looked up at him as he said his sorry and their noses touched. For a moment, they looked at one another, unknowing that they were being watched the whole time. But Tamaki leaned forward and kissed her again.

It was softer this time and she melted into his embrace. He held her tightly as their tongues seemed to dance together, the world around them disappearing. As they pulled apart and looked at one another, thunder rumbled the room once more, but Haruhi remained unmoving. She was no longer scared. Tamaki smiled at her.

Outside the door, the remaining club members looked on with dropped jaws. Kyoya blinked a few times as Tamaki and Haruhi stayed wrapped around each other. He then took in a breath and shut the door, earning a protest from the twins.

"Hey!" They retorted together, but he said nothing in return. Honey smiled wide, a little frosting from his cake smeared on his face. He clutched at Mori's neck as the man cleaned off his face with a tissue. "They're so cute together! No wonder Haru-chan didn't want any cake, she wanted a piece of Tamaki instead!"

"Honey." Mori said, making him hush. Kyoya adjusted his glasses.

"From what we've witnessed, I don't think this was planned. But they are enjoying each other's company now…" Hikaru and Kaoru both sighed.

"Does this change the club?" The 'mother' merely shook his head.

"Let's just wait until tomorrow. We'll know then."

But it never changed anything. The club was opened for business the next day and the wooing of girls began. Bromance, candies, and loving threats of sharing coffee mouth to mouth were spread and girls squealed with absolute delight. Kyoya watched Tamaki as he swept one girl off her feet, but faltered in his pickup lines as the door opened to Haruhi running in late.

"Sorry I'm late, I was redoing my tests." She said while scratching the back of her neck. Girls ran to her and began to chat excitedly about what she had missed and she was led to the couch where she was surrounded by unknowing clients. Tamaki dismissed his clients and fetched himself a cup of instant coffee, becoming completely silent. Every few minutes, Haruhi and Tamaki would make eye contact with one another and Kyoya soon lost count of their connections. After a few moments, he finally went over to Tamaki, the two of them both observing Haruhi with her bunch of girls.

"So you two had quite the episode yesterday." Tamaki spit out his coffee.

"I don't know what you mean." He mumbled, wiping the spilled liquid from his face with a napkin. Kyoya smiled.

"Of course you do, we all saw what happened between you and _your_ flower." He turned beat red and avoided his eyes.

"Well…I…" Kyoya put his hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, father…We knew it was bound to happen sometime. Just as long as you make it count, so that it won't be for naught." Tamaki ran a hand through his hair and sighed, staring after the girl he loved so much.

"Yeah…I know."

. . .

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